Purdue AAE alumnae Loral O'Hara (MSAAE '09) has been selected for the 2017 NASA Astronaut Class. O'Hara is one of five women and seven men selected from a record number of applicants. The new astronauts must complete two years of intensive training at the Johnson Space Center before they will be qualified for assignment to future space missions.

Purdue AAE alumnae Loral O'Hara has been selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. She will report for duty in August 2017. O'Hara is one of five women and seven men selected from more than 18,300 applicants.

O'Hara earned her MSAAE from Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2009. Professor William Anderson was her advisor. O'Hara is currently a Research Engineer for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.